Have you heard of Air Wisconsin? If you’ve flown United Express through United’s Chicago O’Hare or Washington Dulles hubs, you’ve most likely traveled with them. Some of their flight attendants and passengers are speaking out about cabin comfort and working conditions, and we’ve noticed a pattern.
Hot, Sticky Airplane Cabins
As passengers are sweating it out due to inadequate cooling systems on board Air Wisconsin’s aging fleet of CRJ-200 jets, flight attendants are feeling frustration as their reports to management about this issue and others to do with passenger comfort are routinely ignored or indefinitely deferred. From what we hear, this is nothing new at Air Wisconsin.
“When we share what our passengers are saying about the lack of cool air conditioning, they don’t do anything but blame it on the hot weather. Passengers get off one mainline airplane where the air conditioning works just fine and onto our planes with no a/c, and they feel the difference. Passengers know how this works and some of them are having panic attacks when it gets to 90 degrees and higher on our planes” an Air Wisconsin flight attendant shared with us.
This hot, angry passenger spoke up from this
Air Wisconsin flight from Chicago to Milwaukee
Inflight Service Considered Unimportant
When it comes to setting their priorities, Air Wisconsin has made it abundantly clear to their flight attendants that conditions in the cabin are not a company priority.
One flight attendant put it this way, “As long as the plane flies and generates revenue, that’s all management cares about. It’s pretty evident that if you’re a passenger or a flight attendant, they see you as a means to an end at most. Profit is the only thing that matters to them. You know, it didn’t use to be this way at Air Wisconsin, they cared about the customers and everyone who worked here too, but the newer management is heartless and in the end, none of it is good for business.”
Some Get Wined and Dined
Pilots and Mechanics are offered bonuses on top of salary. Flight attendants are at or near poverty wages in many cases and no bonuses.
While others get left behind
Currently, Air Wisconsin is offering hefty bonuses ($57,000) to new-hire pilots and mechanics ($4,500-15,000) while simultaneously paying new flight attendants the same old poverty wages. Recent union contract negotiations reached a stalemate as management dug in its heels refusing to give flight attendants what would have been their first raise in 15 years. They just don’t think it’s necessary to invest in the people who interact with customers most.
In Virginia, home to United/United Express’ Washington Dulles hub, a new Air Wisconsin flight attendant is eligible to receive Supplemental Nutritional Assistance (SNAP) aka food stamps.
Air Wisconsin Flight Attendant Pay
$17.51 per hour x 70 hours per month= $14,708 per year
Max. Income for SNAP (food stamps) eligibility= $15,782
BTW, the median price for a 1-bedroom rental in the DC area is $2,200 per month and monthly income for Air Wisconsin flight attendants about $1225.00.
All Talk
From the Air Wisconsin website:
“Air Wisconsin’s flight attendants are key players in our United Express flying operation. As dedicated professionals, their priority is the well-being of passengers, ensuring that each travel experience is safe, comfortable and secure. Additionally, our flight attendants pride themselves on offering top-notch customer service, providing a positive inflight environment.
Rushed Crews, Dirty Planes, Shoddy Facilities
Upon arrival at a destination, flight attendants are given 24 minutes to turn the plane which includes deplaning all inbound passengers, cleaning the aircraft, changing crews, the new crew must check security equipment and catering, and boarding outbound passengers. 24 minutes!
The Customer Experience Suffers
This 24-minute turn around policy doesn’t make it better for passengers being forced to endure untidy, hot airplane cabins staffed by exhausted flight attendants. It’s just another reminder of just how unimportant Air Wisconsin management feels their flight attendants and passengers really are.
The crew lounge from hell
The sparsely furnished crew room we peeked into, shared by over 150 pilots and flight attendants at Chicago O’Hare, has had boarded up broken windows for months and very little space for anything else but the overstuffed luggage carried by flight attendants that must often commute to base from where there is affordable housing.
Air Wisconsin Crew Lounge Areas
So remember the next time that you board a United Express flight operated by Air Wisconsin that you are with an airline that has placed inflight service as their lowest priority. Your Air Wisconsin flight attendants feel your pain and are doing everything they can to make it better.
